1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a hard disk drive (HDD) apparatus, and more particularly, to an HDD apparatus to increase convenience of pivoting operations of a flip for locking and unlocking operations to improve the pivoting operations of the flip and to provide mechanical strength to the flip such that the flip endures an external force exerted thereto to be prevented from being easily broken down.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hard disk drives (HDD) record data on and/or reproduce data from disks using read/write heads. Thus, since the HDDs are capable of access mass data at high speeds, the HDDs are widely used as secondary memory units, etc. of computer systems.
When such HDDs are installed in various types of electronic products, the HDDs are connected to flexible printed cables (FPCs), which extend from main boards of the electronic products, in order to transmit data recorded on disks.
In more detail, connection terminals, which are installed at ends of the FPCs, are inserted into connectors provided on sides of printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) of the HDDs so as to install the HDD in the electronic products.
As described above, the connectors are combined with the connection terminals of the FPCs to form spaces in which the HDDs are connected to main boards of the electronic products.
If connection of the connectors is not properly performed, the HDDs do not smoothly access data, lowering the reliability. As a result, performances of the HDDs are deteriorated.
The connectors include manual or mechanical actuators, which are called flips, so as to improve their performances. Such a flip generally has a slim bar shape and pivots on a pivot shaft provided at both ends of the flip at a predetermined angle.
A flip operates to lock a connection terminal of a FPC into and unlock the connection terminal from a connector. In other words, when the flip is bent to be perpendicular to an upper surface of the connector, the connection terminal of the FPC is inserted into the connector. Next, the flip pivots parallel with the upper surface of the connector to lock the connection terminal into the connector. Here, locking refers to simple mechanical fixation of the connection terminal to the connector and electrical connection of the connection terminal to the connector to transmit data.
Conventionally, 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch middle-sized or large-sized HDDs are used.
A size of a flip is proportional to a size of a HDD. Thus, a flip of a middle-sized/large sized HDD has an enough size to be pivoted by fingers of a worker, i.e., to be handled by the worker. A connecting structure of a connection terminal of the middle-sized/large-sized HDD may be different from a connecting structure of a connection terminal of a small-sized HDD.
Since the flip of the middle-sized/large-sized HDD has the enough size and enough strength, it is not difficult to manually or mechanically pivot the flip. Also, the flip is hardly mechanically broken down during the pivoting operation of the flip.
Since recently developed HDDs realize high Track Per Inch (TPI) and high Bits Per Inch (BPI), they realize high capacity, have small sizes, and expand their applications. Small form factor HDDs (SFF HDDs) having 0.85-inch sizes, i.e., sizes similar to coins of 100 won, is prearranged be developed to be used in portable phones, etc.
Sizes of connectors of FPCs of HDDs and sizes of flips attached to the connectors have been reduced with gradual reductions in sizes of the HDDs.
A length of a flip of a connector of a 1.8-inch HDD is within a range between 10 mm and 20 mm, a width of the flip is 2 mm or less, and a thickness of the flip is tens of millimeters or less. Since a size of a flip of a small-sized HDD is reduced in a small-sized HDD as described above, it is difficult to directly handle the flip. Thus, the flip must be carefully pivoted.
However, in the case of such a small-sized HDD, it is not easy for a worker to handle a flip because of a very small absolute size of the flip in spite of the careful manipulation of the worker. In addition, since the flip has a weak structure, the flip is easily broken down or damaged by an external weak force applied to pivot the flip.
An absolute thickness of a flip having an approximately rectangular shape is reduced with a reduction in a size of a HDD. Thus, the flip does not sufficiently endure an applied force. Also, a width of the flip is smaller than a length of the flip.
Accordingly, an absolute size of a flip may not be unlimitedly increased in consideration of a small size of a HDD. However, a structure of the flip is required to be improved to increase the convenience of a pivoting operation of the flip for locking and unlocking so as to improve a handling work of the flip. Also, the flip is given mechanical strength to sufficiently endure an applied external force so as to be prevented from being easily broken down.